I. Field
The present disclosure relates generally to communication, and more specifically to techniques for scanning and selecting wireless local area network (WLAN) systems.
II. Background
WLAN systems are widely deployed to support wireless communication for terminals, which may be computers, cellular phones, etc. WLAN systems are deployed in various locations such as office buildings, coffee shops, malls, airport terminals, schools, and other hot spots where data usage is expected to be high. WLAN systems allow terminals to obtain data connectivity (e.g., to connect to the Internet) from virtually anywhere in the world.
Many WLAN systems implement IEEE 802.11, which is a family of standards offered by The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). The IEEE 802.11 standards specify the radio interface between access points and terminals and also between terminals. Currently, 802.11a, 802.11b and 802.11g standards are widely used. Each IEEE 802.11 standard specifies operation at a specific frequency band (e.g., 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz) using one or more modulation techniques.
A terminal may be configured to search for WLAN systems whenever the terminal is powered on. The terminal may not know its location or which WLAN systems are near its vicinity. It is desirable to detect for WLAN systems that are within range and to select a suitable WLAN system for possible communication as reliably and efficiently as possible.